Highway-crossing signal system



C. R. GRAVE$ HiGHwAY' CROSSING SIGNAL SYSTEM Filed Margh 31 i925 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 5 1926. 1,568,219

0. R. GRAVES HIGHWAY CROSSING SIGNAL SYSTEM Filed March 31 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 If f i inventor d V 7 Q Q (371 raves Q: a5 Z2 Q flflotncq Patented Jan. 5, 1926.

UNITED STATES CARL R. GRAVES, OF CLARION, IOWA.

HIGHWAY-CROSSING SIGNAL SYSTEM.

Application filed. March 31, 1925. Serial No. 19,688.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, CARL R. Gnnvns, a citizen "of the United States, residing at Clarion, in the county of 'VVright and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Highway-Crossing Signal Systems, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to means designed to be used at highway crossings for the purpose of causing a signal to be actuated as a train approaches the crossing and the signal to be shifted to its safety indicating position after the train has crossed the highway, and more particularly this invention relates to certain improvements or additions to the mechanism illustrated in the patent granted to me i on August 26, 1924, $51,506,630, and to means for causing the actuation of a signal such as that shown in m r application Serial #7,072 filed on the 5th day of February, 1925, by mechanism located upon a siding as well as distinguished from mechanism located upon the main track.

The general object of the invention is to provide means whereby the said signal shall be actuated upon the approach of a train upon the main track,'whether this train enters the siding or crosses the highway upon the main track.'

A further object is to provide means whereby a train may enter upon the siding and after it has passed the highway restore thesignal to its safety position, but that if this train returns along the siding or backs out of the siding so that it again crosses the highway it will again set the signal to danger position immediately upon backing and will restore that signal to its safety position after the train has passed the highway crossing. i

A still further object is to provide a mechanism operated by a train entering upon the siding and pulling out therefrom I which will permit a train to pull in on the siding to wait for another train and while the train is standing on the crossing the signal will remain in danger position but that if it be necessary to cut the train for the highway crossing then when the last car where the out is made has pulled up the last truck will put the signal in clear position, the mechanism being such, how

ever, that this will not prevent a train coming in on the main line and passing the train on the siding operating the signal just as though there was no train on the siding and upon the departure of the train on the main line this main line train will put the signal into clear or safety position, and further the mechanism'being such that when the two sections of the train on the siding are moved to couple up again, the wheels of the car where the cut was made will strike the actuating device which con stitutes a combined setting and releasing or restoring lever and will set the signal to danger position, the signal remaining in danger position until the last car clears the crossing, this mechanism acting, when the last truck of the train has passed, to put the signal into clear position.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a plan View of a main track and a siding at a crossing;

Figure l is a plan view of the main track and the entrance to the crossing, Figures 1 and 1 being intended to be read in connection with each other;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the operating rods and levers and a portion of the main track;

Figure 3 is a side elevation of a portion of the main track showing the signal set ting mechanism; c

Figure 4 "is a side elevation of a portion of the main track showing the combined setting and restoring mechanism;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the connection between the rod 42 and the rod 67".

Referring particularly to Figures 1 and 1*, it will be seen that these figures illustrate a highway crossing A, a main track B, and a siding C, both the siding and the main track crossing the highway crossing 1 Disposed in connection with the highway crossing is a signal post D having mounted thereon a signal such as is illustrated in my Patent #1506530 granted August 26, 1924, or such as is illustrated in my co-pending application Serial #l9,689, filed on the 31st day of h'larch, 1925.

It is not believed necessary to illustrate either of these signals in detail, it being sufiieient to say {that the signal includes a w s D and Pivotally want d is al all arm (Z carried thereby which, when it is raised, is in danger position and indicate the approach of a train and which, when it is lowered, is in a clear or safety position and indicates that the train has passed and that one may cross the tracks without'danger. In connection with the main .ti'ackthere is disposed, some fifteen hundred feet more orv less from the highway crossing, a signal setting mechanism E whose particular form, construction and operation is fully set forth in my pending application. Serial #7 .072, tiled February 5, 1925, and allowed on February 2i, 1925,. This comprises, as illustrated in Figure 3, a rail-engaging bar, designated 10, mounted upon levers 11, these lovers in turn being connected to a longitudinally shiftable bar 12, this bar, being connected by a linklil to a yoke l-l, This yoke carries t volongitudinally cxtendii rods which pass through a guide ll) a .l engage a collar 1? slidably mounted upon a longitudinally extending rod in, in turn connected to aconnect'- rod 19. i the l ir l0 isdepressed in a direction to shift the lower ends of, the levers ll rearwzgd, the rods 13, yoke l-l, and the rods/l5 are shifted forward and the collar 1? slides upon the rod 18 against the act-ion of a spring 20 which bears against ashouhler 2L on this rod 18. This occurs only when a train is passing iiiadirection 'lroiii right to left, but when a train is passing from left to right. in ldigurcil, tliebar it). will be depressed so as to carry the lower ends. in Figure of the lovers ll'toward the right 3, which will pi lliipoi'i the 1'0 13, ll and 15, and the collar. 17. will eiig against a shoulder 22 also on the red 18 and will thus act to. pull the rod 18 and with it the rod 19. Thus a train coin-i from tlieright in Figure l toward the l -i ;h;way will act to pull on rod 19 and this will act to set the signal to danger position, as will more fully hereinafter appear.

"this rod 19 extends toward the crossing or highway and at one point is provided with a slip joint with which another section 19 of the rod 19 engages. Thus 1 mon a pull toward the right in Figure l on this rod 19 the operated.

section 19' will also be This section 19 extends-beneath the highway A and is connected to the armof a bell crank lever 2i. This bell crank lever 24- is connected by a connectini' 2-3. the horizontal arnrof which ciglyei rls parallel to a horizontal lever 27. lhis lever 27 has a transversely extending pin 27 andthe horizontal arm of the bellcrank lever 26 rests upon this pin 27 so that when the rod to the 'QllJCill arm of a bell crank le er.

signal will be set to danger, the and being latched 111, this position, as fu... ie-

scribed in said co-pending application.

Disposed on the other side of the lever 27 is a second bell crank lever 29 which also rests upon the pin 27" and has a depending arm, which depending arm is connected to a rod 30 which extends to and is operatively connected: with the bell. crank lever 31, which in turn is connected to a longitudb nally extending rod section 232 which is engaged with a slip joint of the same character as the slip joint 23 heretofore described, and from this slip joint extends a rod section 34- which extends to one arm of a bell crank lever 35 (see. Figure 1), the other arm of the bell crank lever being connected to a rod 236 which extends to one arm ofv a bell crank lever 37, the other arm of this bell crank lever being connected to a connecting rod 38 which extends beyond the switch F to a setting mechanism, designated generally G, of the same character as the setting mechanism E, only operating, of course, in the reverse direction, and which includes the bar 10 engaged by the wheels of the train, the lovers ll, the rod 12, the link 13, the rods ll, and the spring 20 so that when a train comes from the left iii-Figure lit will actuate this setting iiiechaii-isn and cause a pull upon the rod 32 to shift the signal mechanism so as to allow the signal to move from its safety to its danger position underthe force of gravity, as described in the pending application. \Vhen the rod 32 has been pulled downward and the signal is raised to its danger position, the bar is latched, and when a train has passed beyond the crossing this latch is designed to be retracted, which permits the signal to return to its safety position under the action of gravity.

The restoring mechanisms for this purpose are designated H and l and will be described iii connection with the restoring mechanism on the siding. The means whereby this restoring of the signal to its safety position is described is also fully described in my pending application Serial $7,072, filed Feliiruary 1925, as applied to the main line, but, as before stated, the present invention relates to the ii'ieans whereby a.- train approaching the siding will actuatethe signal and whereby a train on the siding will restore the signal to its safety position after the train has passed the highway and whereby a full train or a part v0i the train, if the train be broken in hacking, returning or moving off of the siding onto the main track, will again set the signal, and to this end I have provided a combination restoring and setting mechanism which will act to restore the signal to its safety position after the last car of the train on the siding has passed the highway crossing in either direction, but it will also act to reset the signal to its danger position it this train backs down upon the siding toward the crossing and only restores the signal to its safety position after this train, backing down the siding to get upon the main line, has passed the highway.

One of these combined restoring and setting mechanisms is illustrated in Figure 4. Taking the restoring mechanism which is on the right hand side of the highway and associated with the siding, it will be seen that it comprises a longitudinally extending bar 39, one end of which is inclined downward, this bar being mounted upon a plurality of bell crank levers pivoted at 41 upon the rail. Mounted for longitudinal movementalong the side of the rail is a longitudinally extending bar 42 having depending arms 43, to which the lower ends of the bell crank levers are connected. Thus it will be obvious that as the rail or bar 39 depressed by the wheels of a train, the rod 42 will be shifted longitudinally. This red at its end is pivotally connected to a yoke 44. having two parallel rods- 45 carrying a cross piece 46 which slides upon a longitudinally extending rod 47 around which there is disposed a coiled compression spring 48. This rod 47 has upon it the shoulder or stop 49 against which the cross piece 46 abu ts when the rods 45 move to the left in Figure 4, but when the rods 45 move to the right in Figure-4 the spring 48 will be compressed. The rod 42 is pivotally coiiuiected to a link 50 which is pivoted at the junction of the rod 42 with the yoke 44 and which extends away from the yoke and is pivotally connected to the lower end of a restoring lever 51, the upper end of which is formed, with two angularly related faces, this restoring lever being operatively pivoted at 52 to the rail. The angular faces 53 and 53 of the restoring lever are disposed as to project slightly above the rail of the track.

It will now be seen that when a a train moves from the left to the right and passes the highway crossing, the first wheels of the train will depress the bar 39, which will shift the rod 42 to the right in Figure 4, which will pull the restoring lever 51 down to a position so that its face 53 is flush with the top of the rail. The push on the rod 42 will push the shoulder 46 and this shoulder 46 will simply slide upon the rod 47 and compress the spring 48 without in any way. 1.jiecting the rod 41. Inasmuch as the bar 39 has a length equal to the longest distance between the inside trucks 01. a car and, of'course, greater than the distance between the adjacent wheels of two cars, it is obvious that this bar 39 will remain depressed while the train is passing over it but as soon as the last wheel of the train has passed off the bar 39 the spring 48 will cause a reverse movement of the rod 42 and, the restoring lever 51 will spring upward into the path of the last wheel and the last wheel, therefore, will rock the restoring lever over toward the right in Figure 4, pulling on the connecting rod 50, yoke 44,

the rods 45, and the cross piece 46 will engage the shoulder 49 and pull the rod 47. This rod 4. is pivotally connected by a link 54 to a lever, which in turn is pivotally connected to a longitudinally extending rod 56 having a turnbuckle in its length, whereby the length of the rod may be adjusted, this rod 56 engaging with a bell crank lever 57, from one arm of which extends a transverse connecting rod 58 which extends heneath the main. track.

The rod 58 is upwardly extended at 59, and passing through this extension 59 is a connecting rod 60 which, adjacent the track, is connected to a bell crank 61. This rod 69 has upon it a stop 62 which engages the upwardly turned end 59 of the rod 58. Therefore, it is obvious that when the rod 58 is pulled it will pull upon the rod 60 This rorl at its end remote from the track is connected to the depending arm of a lever 63, the horizontal arm of which extends over transverse pins 64- carried by an arm 65, which in turn is connected to a rod 66 which is the means whereby the signal lowered,

fully described in my pending application.

\Vhat is true with. regard to the restoring mechanism H is equally true with regard to the restoring mechanism I, the same parts exactly being used, only reversed with relation to the parts of the restoring mechanism H, and this in turn is connected by a lever to a connecting rod 56 to a bell crank 57, which bell crank is connectel to a rod 58 extending beneath the track, which rod is extended upward and engages with a shoulder 62 on a connecting rod which in turn connects with a bell crank 63 operating on a transverse pin 64 of the lever 65 and thus upon the pull rod 66. Thus it will be obvious that when a train moves onto the siding from left to right that the wheels of the train simply depress the bar 39, thus depressing the restoring lever to the position shown and permitting the wheels to pass without aifecting the restoring lever.

lVhen, however, the wheels reach the restoring lever 51 of the mechanism H, they will act to depress the bar of this meehanism H and to depress the restoring lever until the last wheel has passeil off the bar 39. This will permit the restoring lever to spring upward and then the last wheel will -force the restoring lever, to ard the right at the point H in Figure 1, which will :ause a pull to be exerted upon the rod 4-7, which will pull on rod 56, which pull will be t'ansmitted to rod 58 and thus to connecting rod 60, thence to the bell crank 63 to arm 65, which will pull down on the connection (36 and which will pull down ward on the member which holds up the signal arm, permitting the signal arm to drop by gravity, as fully described in my co-pending application upon the signal before referred to.

It is also necessary that the restoring mechanism will act to set the crossing signal when the train, after it passes upon the siding, moves back toward the switch to pass back upon the main line. Thus, for instance, if a train enters the siding this train has heretofore set the signal to danger by means of the setting mecuanism G. The train then enters upon the siding and passes over the restoring mechanism 1. It the train has come from a distance and has passed the setting mechanism G, it will not ail'ect the restoring mechanism 1 but it, for instance, the train is upon the main track between the setting mechanism G and the setting mechanism E and then this train passes onto the siding, it is obvious that some means must be provided for setting the signal as the train passes onto the siding, and under these circumstances the train entering the siding strikes the lever 51 and shifts this lever toward the right in Figure l. The shifting of this lever 51 toward the right actuatcs a rod 67 by means of an angular bracket (58 which is mounted upon the rod 42. The rod 6'? is connected to a bell crank lever 69 which is pivotally connected to a rod 70, this rod at its extremity being bent upward and having an aperture through which he rod passes, the roil 30 carrying a shoulder 71 bearing against the turned -up end of the connecting rod 70. Thus when this rod is pulled it will cause a. pull upon the rod 30, which will pull upon the bell. crank lever 25), causing a de pression of the lever 27 and a consequent pull upon the rod 28 connecting to the latch, which will be open, permitting the signal arm to descend to its danger position.

It the train passes on across the highway and passes on beyond the restoring mecha nism H, it will actuate the restoring lever 51 of this restoring mechanism and cause a pull upon the link 54,. lever rod 56, cell crank 57, rod 58, link 60, bell crank 63, lever 65, and rod 66, which will restore the signal to its normal or safety position. lileanwhile a train can pass on the main line and will set the signal to danger as it approaches the highway and will restore the signal to its normal position as it leaves the highway by means of the restoring mechanism J connected to the. main track. train on. the main line, while it goes beyond the restoring mechanism J, backs back again toward the left in Figure 1, the restoring mechanism J will set the signal once more to da ger and the signal will not be set to safety position until the train reaches the restoring mechanism K, it being understood that the restoring mechanisms H, I, J and K are all of the same construction.

If the train on the side track )ZISSQS beyond the restoring mechanism H, it will operate to restore the signal to a safety position, but it it then backs back across the highway the first wheels of the car will strike the restoring lever 51 of the restoring inecl1- anism H and will setthe signal to danger position, and then as the train reaches the restoring mechanism I the lastwheels of the train will shift this restoring mechanism I over, and operating through the lever 65, the rod 56, the bell crank 57, the link 58 and the rod (30 will cause the restoration of the signal to its safety position.

It will be seen that a highway crossing signal constructed in accordance with the accompanying drawings and description and having a signal constructed in accordance either with my prior patent or with the signal which is illustrated in my pending application Serial #113,869 filed on the Ellst day of March, 1925, and having actuating devices for setting and restoring the signal constructed in accordance with my application Serial 1, 27,072, which. was filed on February 5, 1995, will permit a train on the main line to set the signal to danger as it approaches the crossing and restore the signal to safety position after it has receded from the crossing a predetermined distance, which will not restore the signal to safety position unless the train has reached this distance or until the train has backed across the crossing and engaged a second restoring signal mechanisiu. and in which provision is made for the train to enter a siding, set the signal to danger position uponcntering the siding, restore the signal to its safety posi tion alter the train on the siding has passed the crossing, reset the signal to its danger position it the train, a l ter it has passed the crossing, returns or backs up, and again restores it to a safety position after the train has passed the crossing in its backing-up operation or which will permit the train to be divided and which will put the signal insafety position as soon as an effort is made to re-unite the train by moving one section toward the other, and that the action on the signal by the train on the siding is entirely independent of the action on the II", however, the

signal by a train on the main line, to the extent that if the signal has been cleared by the train on the siding, the train on the main line will set the signal to danger, but that if the signal is at danger for any reason by a train on the siding it will remain at dan ger throughout the passage of a train on the main line until this train on the main a, line has cleared the crossing.

Inasmuch as the actuating means, that is, the restoring mechanism and the setting mechanism, have been fully illustrated and described in my pending application 7 072 it is not believed necessary that these should be illustratedin detail and they are only shown diagrammatically. The same is true with regard to the signal per se which shown in my co-pending application.

\Vhile I have illustrated. a construction which I believe to be particularly effective, I do not wish to be limited to the details as it is obvious that these might be changed in many ways without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a highway crossing signaling system, a main track, a signal disposed beside the highway, train operated. actuating means along the main track at each side of the highway and acting upon the approach of a train to set the signal to a danger position, train operated means associated with the main track located relatively adjacent the crossing for restoring the signal to safety position and operated by a train on the main track departing from the crossing, each restoring device being operated in one direction to restore the signal to safety position and the same restoring device being operable in the opposite direction to set the signal to danger if it has been previously set to safety.

2. In a highway crossing signal system, a main track and a siding, a signal disposed at the intersection of the highway with the main track and siding, train actuated means along the main track and disposed at a distance from the crossing on each sidethereof and acting to set the signal to a danger position as a train approaches the crossing from either direction, train actuated means associated with the main track and located relatively adjacent the crossing Without restoring the signal to safety position and operated by a train on the main track departing from the crossing, train actuated means disposed on each side of the crossing and relatively adjacent thereto for restoring the signal to safety position and operated by a train on the sidmg departing from the crossing in either direction, each restoring means on the main track and on the side track being operated by a train moving away from the crossing to restore the signal and being operated by a train approaching the crossing to set the signal to danger if it has been previously set to safety.

3. In a highway crossing signaling system, a main track and a side track, a signal disposed adjacent the intersection of the highway with the main track and side track, train actuated means along the main track at a distance from the crossing and on each side thereof for setting the signal to a danger position on the approacl'i of a train but each permitting the train to depart from the crossing without affecting the signal, train actuated means associated with the main track and located relatively adjacent the crossing operating to restore the signal to safety position when the last car of a train has passed the crossing, train actuated means associated with the siding and disposed on each side thereof acting to restore the signal to safety position as the last car of the train on the siding passes the crossing, each restoring means being operable in one direction by a train leaving the crossing to restore the signal to its safety position but being operable in the other direction by the first car of the train to set the signal to danger if it has previously been set to safety.

4-. In a highway crossing signaling system, a main track and a side track, a signal disposed adjacent the intersection of the highway with the main track and side track, train actuated means along the main track at a distance from the crossing and on each side thereof for setting the signal to a danger position on the approach of a train but each permitting the train to depart from the crossing without affecting the signal, train actuated means associated with the main track and located relatively adjacent the crossing operating to restore the signal to safety position when the last car of a train has passed the crossing, train actuated means associated with the siding and disposed on each side thereof acting to restore the signal to safety position as the last car of the train on the siding passes the crossing, each restoring means being operable in one direction by a train leaving the crossing to restore the signal to its safety position but being operable in the other direction by the first car of the train to set the signal to danger if it has previously been set to safety, the restoring devices being so connected to the signal as to permit one restoring device to operate without affecting theother restoring device.

5. In a highway crossing signal system, a main track and a side track, a signal disposed adjacent the intersection of the highway with the main track and side track, train actuated means along the main track at a distance from the crossing and on each side thereof for setting the signal to danger position on the approach of train, me hanism perm t ng the train to depart from the crossing Without affecting the signal, said mechanism including rectilinearly shiftable main signal setting rods, train actuated means associated with the main track and located relatively adjacent the crossing operating to restore the signal to safety position when the last car of the train has passed the crossing and including rectilinearly shit'table main signal restoring rods, train actuated means associated with the siding and disposed on each side thereof acting to restore the signal to safety position as the last car on the siding passes the crossing, each restoring means being operable in one direction by a train leaving the crossing to restore the signal to its safety position but being operable in the other direction by the first car of the train to set the signal to danger if it has been previously set to safety and including rectilinearly shiftable rods having sliding operative connection in one direction with the main signal restoring rods but operating on said rods upon a pulling movement,

brackets upon the rectilinearly shiftable rods of the siding, rods extending loosely through said brackets and having stops en gaged by the brackets upon a movement of the siding restoring rods in one direction, said rods carrying the stops being operatively connected to the main signal restoring rods by a sliding connection in one direction, the main signal restoring rods having stops transini ting a pull exerted upon the rods passing through said brackets to the main signal setting rods.

In testimony whereof I hereunto ailix my signature.

CARL R. GRAVE-S. 

